Ardath Dastagir
Ardath Dastagir is a human man currently residing in the city of Amarna, where he runs the magic/curio shop Something Borrowed. He is a magician with a particular knack for divination, which he performs using tarot cards. He lives with Marena Roland, a young woman suffering from amnesia. While Ardath imposes no obligations on her, she acts as the shop's live-in cleaning lady, as well as Ardath's reluctant apprentice. Appearance/Personality Ardath is described as a handsome young man of average height and svelte build. He has a bronze skin tone common among native Amarnans, but unusually, he has white hair and dark purple eyes. While playful, mischievous, and a bit of a show-off, he tends to be an enigmatic character in the lives of others. Most people he encounters are not sure what to make of him. It is difficult to get to know him personally, and he has few friends. He doubts that anyone would like him for himself and believes no one really cares about him. He is often distrustful of others' motives in befriending or pursuing him. He is highly protective of those he cares about, but this is offset by his cowardice. Rather than fighting for those he loves, he will likely suggest they run away from their problems together. Afflicted with wanderlust, he frequently leaves on sudden trips with no particular destination in mind. He keeps many secrets, though not without just cause. While he is not vindictive, one should avoid incurring his hatred. His nickname is "Arda". Biography Ardath's true origins are unknown to him. He was told by Livia Kynaston, the original owner of the shop, that she found him abandoned as an infant and took him in out of pity. In actuality, Ardath's mother was a young girl who came to Livia for an abortion. Livia performed the procedure without incident, and after the girl left she disposed of the fetus' remains in the trash in the alley beside the shop. Some time later, Livia noticed a strange light through her window. She went to investigate, and found a woman attempting to use magic on the fetus, claiming he was still alive. In a fit of rage, Livia attacked the woman with her own magic. The woman was focused on the child and unable to defend herself, resulting in her death. However, the woman's magic, which Livia recognized as Zantine in origin, successfully healed and developed the child to a survivable weight and size, but left him with white hair and purple eyes. As the baby boy began to wail loudly, Livia took him inside, not wanting him to attract attention. She disposed of the woman's body and tried to find a place for the baby elsewhere, but no one wanted the strange-looking child. Finally, she was left with no choice but to raise him herself. Once he was old enough to walk and talk, she sent him out onto the streets, letting him run wild. When he was a little older, she taught him some magic, including gifting him his familiar and his tarot deck. During his early childhood, Ardath was routinely visited by a being calling themselves "the Magician". They matched up with the image on the Magician card in Ardath's deck, and taught the boy how to enter other worlds. As a result, Ardath developed a belief in the Major Arcana as "cosmic archetypes", similar to angels or gods, and while he never worshiped them per se, he trusted them implicitly. Meeting the Rolands When the Rolands moved in with Livia, he befriended Marena and even tried to get Marcus to teach him Zantine magic. Ardath was put off by the intensive study and devotion required to learn the Zantine ways, however, and soon abandoned the notion. As they grew older, he and Marena became close. They fell in love, but Livia attempted to discourage their romance. She failed, however, and the two were married in a traditional Zantine ceremony with the blessing of Marena's parents. Pestilence They had not been wedded for a year before a plague hit the city. Ardath wanted to leave, but Marena stayed behind, claiming she wanted to help the sick. The two had an argument and Ardath left alone. By the time he returned, he discovered Marena was among the dead. Unable to handle his grief, he gradually became determined to bring his bride back from the dead. He threw himself into studying the arcana and all forms of occultism in hopes of discovering a means of cheating death. In his pursuit of knowledge, he contacted Selca Ducani, the court magician of Prince Alastair. Selca was an occultist who had amassed a large library on the subject. Upon learning of Ardath's studies, the prince himself met with Ardath in private. At their meeting, Alastair revealed his intentions. The prince was interested in the Major Arcana - cosmic archetypes represented by the cards in the tarot deck. Ardath was astonished to find that Alastair shared his belief in these beings, and was immediately hooked. Alastair offered him a place in his court as the new magician if he would help him summon each of the Major Arcana and bind them to the prince's will. To do this, members of Alastair's inner circle would each represent one of the Arcana in an elaborate ritual. With his own agenda in mind, Ardath agreed to these terms. While preparing for the ritual, Ardath was approached by Selca, who warned him that Alastair didn't fully understand what he was asking for. Believing Selca was merely envious of his position (Ardath had replaced him as court magician), Ardath ignored his warnings and even mentioned the incident to Alastair, who had Selca imprisoned. Alastair held a banquet on his birthday, inviting all his family members and friends. Unbeknownst to most of the guests, they were made to represent the Arcana. Ardath himself participated, representing the Magician. At the last moment, Ardath sabotaged the ritual, turning it in his favor. He summoned the Arcana, but did not bind them to Alastair. Instead, to his horror, he found that several of Alastair's courtiers and closest advisers were already representations of some of the Arcana - mortal husks hosting corrupted, demonic beings. Before he could abort the ritual, his attention was drawn to the Magician, who was able to soothe his worries. The Magician claimed that only some of the Arcana were malevolent, while others were more neutral or benevolent. Reading the desire in Ardath's heart, the Magician offered him a deal. In exchange for a share in Ardath's magical energies, Marena's life would be restored. Ardath agreed without hesitation. Borrowed Time Transported to the beach by the Magician, Ardath's memory of the ritual grew fuzzy and incomplete. But he soon forgot his confusion as he spotted Marena washing ashore. She awoke in his arms, a complete amnesiac with the mind of an infant, but alive. Over the next five years, Ardath gradually reintroduced Marena to life at the magic shop. He had to teach her how to walk and talk, among other things, but she soon adapted. He was frustrated to discover that reminding her of certain things from her life before, including her family, friends, or their marriage, caused her intense headaches and eventual catatonia, which forced Ardath to erase her memory or risk losing her again. Consequently, he hid any items that served as memory links or reminders of her life before, as well as refusing to directly answer her questions about her past. Eventually, Ardath began to feel the consequences of his deal with the Magician. His powers weakened over time, eventually going dormant. This sent him into a panic, and he tried everything to regain his strength. Finally, he discovered he had to steal the energies of others to replenish his own, a fact that troubled him greatly. In order to sustain himself, he frequently made sudden and unexplained trips away from home, leaving Marena alone. On one such trip, he was startled to find Marena contacting him out of desperation. She had been summoned to the palace by Princess Philomena, Alastair's widow, and was afraid she would hold her prisoner. Ardath urged her to remain calm, only for their connection to be abruptly cut short. Ardath rushed to the palace, but couldn't find Marena. Philomena assured him she had never intended to hold Marena captive, and that the young woman had vanished without a trace. Using his familiar, Ardath successfully tracked her down to a shack on the docks, where she had been taken by none other than Selca Ducani. Selca had already fled the scene by the time he arrived, preventing Ardath from confronting him. Instead, Ardath took Marena to the house of his oldest friend, Malachi, in Norev. He hoped they would be safe there, but Marena, having gone to fetch water early one morning, had a chance encounter with Marcus, her father. She immediately fell unconscious, and Marcus carried her off. Ardath pursued them, but was easily repelled by Marcus. He followed them to Marcus' remote, heavily shielded house, where he tried to break in but failed. When Marena emerged from the house, he observed a change in her attitude toward him. She refused to talk about it. They returned to Malachi, who suggested they try to contact the Magician for advice. Marena went along with Ardath into the realm of the Magician, but became suspicious and frightened of their motives. Using her magical belt - which, unbeknownst to Ardath, had been given to her by Marcus - she cut the meeting short. To Ardath's disappointment and frustration, Marcus had found a way to stop Marena's headaches and proceeded to reveal everything he knew to her. Her odd behavior was the result of her father's warnings about the dangers of the Arcana, as well as having discovered Ardath was her husband. While he tried to convince her otherwise, Marena remained wary and distrustful of the Arcana. Category:Humans Category:Magic Users